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Weekly Rewind: Apple event news, the best IFA bots, healthful tech

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Twitter CEO, Jack Dorsey Image used with permission by copyright holder
In the tech world, a lot happens in a week. So much news goes on that it’s almost impossible for mere mortals with real lives to keep track of everything. That’s why we’ve compiled a quick and dirty list of the top 10 tech stories from this week. Everything from what happened at Apple’s much anticipated September 7 press event to how tech is making us healthier, it’s all here.

iPhone 7 and 7 Plus: Everything you need to know

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At long last, the iPhone 7 is here. At the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, Apple continued its traditional naming structure with the introduction of the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus. We’ve been playing around with the upcoming iOS 10 operating system in beta for the better part of two months, and the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will ship with the new OS (read more about iOS 10 here), but we were excited to learn more about the actual phones.

Read the full story here.

Apple’s waterproof Watch Series 2 also gets faster, brighter, and has GPS

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Not to be outdone by wearables from likes of Asus, Motorola, and Pebble, Apple announced a brand-new smartwatch to beat back the encroaching competition: the Apple Watch Series 2. It may not look all that different from last year’s Apple Watch, but the biggest changes are under the hood.

Read the full story here.

Hands on: Apple iOS 10

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Once Apple hits its groove with an operating system, it riffs on the same melody for a couple iterations. So Apple’s iOS 8 and 9 came and went without really changing the song. In iOS 10, Apple is singing a new tune. It looks crisp, fresh, and different. The animations look entirely different from before, and there are loads of new features packed into this update.

Read the full story here.

Our 6 favorite robots from IFA 2016 will mow, vacuum, and even sketch for you

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Robots have been a staple of tech trade shows for decades at this point, and IFA 2016 was no different. As we made our way through the show floor this year, we encountered a wide variety of both old and new bots — some that mesmerized with their dance moves, others that tantalized with their industrial potential, and a few that left us wondering why they even existed. Here are some of our favorites.

Read the full story here.

The best way to get rid of mosquitoes? Turn them all into males

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If there’s one creature that has attracted the collective wrath of seemingly everyone on the planet, it’s the pesky mosquito. From West Nile to Zika, these insects have long served as vectors of disease, and now, there’s new talk of eradicating them altogether. And the way to go about doing it? By turning them all into males. Because the females are the ones who do all the bloodsucking — and of course egg-laying.

Read the full story here.

Galaxy Note 7 recall: Samsung owners, here’s what you need to know

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Spontaneous combustion is probably the last thing you’d expect from your shiny, expensive new smartphone, but it’s a fate that’s befallen a handful of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 units recently. Seoul, South Korea-based news agency Yonhap News reported earlier that as many as five Note 7 owners have documented their units suddenly catching fire. As of September 2, that number climbed to 35.

Read the full story here.

Google Maps has now memorialized one employee’s bad day at work

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There’s nothing quite like memorializing a bad day on the internet, and it only gets better when you do it on Google Maps. You know, the app used by more than a billion people. Alas, that seems to be the fate that befell an employee of Houston restaurant Flying Saucer, who had an “accident” that was captured by the passing Google car. So now, there’s an intersection in downtown Houston that features a man with a wet pant leg.

Read the full story here.

Tech wrecked our bodies, but next it will make us healthier than ever

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The explosive growth of consumer electronics over the past decade has changed almost every aspect of our society. Health care is no different. The same devices we use to slingshot birds and ninja swipe flying fruit are now improving our health in nearly every way, and could ultimately save our lives.

Read the full story here.

Twitter for sale? Upcoming board meeting will shape company’s future

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Is Twitter headed for a takeover? The company has been dodging the big question for the past year, but that could all be about to change. Twitter’s board of directors reportedly met this Thursday in San Francisco to discuss a number of hot topics, including the question on everyone’s lips: Can Twitter continue to operate as a stand-alone company? A number of sources close to the company revealed the news to Recode, which claims Twitter’s future is riding on the meeting.

Read the full story here.

Mercedes’ Vision Van is the electric, drone-equipped van of the future

Mercedes-Benz Vision Van – Exterior ; Mercedes-Benz Vision Van – Exterior;
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Mercedes-Benz has built its share of high-tech luxury concept cars over the years, but now it’s applying the latest technology to a different type of vehicle. The Mercedes-Benz Vision Van aims to show how automotive-tech buzzwords like connectivity and electric powertrains can be applied to commercial vehicles. It’s part of a new strategy called AdVANce, through which Mercedes hopes to become not just a vehicle manufacturer, but a purveyor of “holistic system solutions.”

Read the full story here.

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Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
The OnePlus Watch 2 is the Wear OS smartwatch I’ve been waiting for
Person wearing OnePlus Watch 2 with a green strap on their left wrist.

The OnePlus Watch 2 -- the company's first Wear OS watch -- has entered a market that Samsung dominates. However, OnePlus' popularity as a smartphone brand can be expected to bring small, yet meaningful changes that benefit not only OnePlus users, but all of the Wear OS segment in general.

For almost a decade, Samsung and Apple have predominantly been the default options if you want a smartwatch that is actually useful and goes beyond flashy features. With Samsung shifting gears and migrating from its own Tizen OS to the (relatively) more universal Wear OS platform and Google releasing its own Pixel Watch after struggling with an identity crisis in the smartwatch world, the platform has much more traction than it did a few years ago. As OnePlus carves its way into the segment, it has the opportunity to entice people who don't wish to live within Samsung's limitations when using a Galaxy Watch with another brand's phone.

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Buying an iPad Mini today? You need to know about this deal
The Apple Pencil attaches to the iPad mini magnetically.

If you've had an eye on iPad deals for the latest model of the Apple iPad Mini for a while now, this may be the offer that you've been waiting for -- a $100 discount from Best Buy on the tablet's Wi-Fi, 64GB model, slashing its price to $400 from $500. It's still pretty popular years after its release, so we don't expect stocks of the device for this sale to last long. If you're thinking about taking advantage of this bargain, you better push through with your purchase as soon as possible to make sure that you don't miss out on the savings.

Why you should buy the Apple iPad Mini 2021
The latest generation of the Apple iPad Mini was released in 2021, but it's still featured in our roundup of the best iPads because it's the model that you should buy if you want a smaller and more compact version of Apple's tablets. Its 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display is smaller than the screens of its peers, but it's still big enough to enjoy watching streaming shows and browsing websites, while allowing you to use the device with one hand. Unlike its predecessor, there's no Home button, so the Touch ID sensor is instead built into the power button at the side of the Apple iPad Mini 2021.

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Microsoft Surface Laptop 5, Surface Pro 9 heavily discounted today
The Surface Pro 9 in laptop mode on a table.

Microsoft's Surface devices are well known for their versatility and performance, but they command premium prices. That's why there's always high demand for Surface Laptop and Surface Pro deals, as who doesn't want to enjoy a discount when making a huge investment? If you're interested, Best Buy is offering the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 at $300 off, which brings its price down to $1,000 from $1,300, and the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 at $540 off, which lowers its price also to $1,000 from $1,540, ahead of the arrival of the consumer versions of the Surface Laptop 6 and Surface Pro 10. You need to push through with your transaction as soon as possible if either of these bargains caught your attention, as we're not sure how much time is remaining before they disappear.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 -- $1,000, was $1,300

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 is a traditional Windows 11 laptop that's powered by the 12th-generation Intel Core i5 Evo processor, Intel Iris Xe Graphics, and 8GB of RAM. It won't match up to the performance of the best laptops, but it's going to be more than enough to handle daily tasks for work or school. The laptop features a 13.5-inch PixelSense touchscreen with vibrant colors and sharp details, a battery that can last up to 18 hours on a single charge, and a 512GB SSD that provides ample storage space for your files. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 also comes with a 720p webcam and dual far-field Studio Mics for clear video calls.

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